The whole idea of Synodality has begun since the time of Jesus.
The whole idea of Synodality has begun since the time of Jesus. It is a profound move of what it means to follow Christ, both in His era and for us today. St Francis of Assisi was one of those.
Missionary Discipleship is all about personal conversion and then reaching out. For St Francis, he had a radical change of mind and heart.
1Total Conversion: Internal and External
In his Internal Conversion, he chose humility and peace of Christ instead of worldly happenings.
In his External Conversion, he chose poverty (Lady Poverty) which is not a private or hidden matter. He was living amongst the poorest that exists.
2Reaching to the Needs
With the pathway that St Francis chose, his is in-line with FD#145 “Sharing responsibilities for mission by reaching out to the peripheries and those of special needs.” Who were they for St Francis ?
The Lepers: The society of the Lepers because they were his brothers and sisters and it was his primary place of ministry.
The Forgotten: St Francis met broken people, offered dignity to those rejected by society and most of all, recognising the face of Christ in the poor.
3Rebuilding
“Go and rebuild my church which you see is falling into ruins” is not only a physical action to be done by St Francis but goes deeper than that and that is to rebuild the community of the faithful. His mission is to rebuild, revitalised the Church (the Faithful) from ground up through authentic and joyful community living.
What is our Commitment?
Being Synodal, our active participation is a priority. This will challenge us to look at ourselves and ask :
• Christ is calling me to experience an internal conversion. Would I be a missionary disciple to move forward ?
• Since I am a disciple on behalf of Christ, would I be able to identify community who are struggling internally? ✜
Scripture, prayer and the closing quote
Scripture of the Day
Isaiah 5: 1-7
Psalm 79: 9, 12-16, 19-20
Philippians 4: 6-9
Matthew 21: 33-44
“I like to think that even those who are most frail, limited and troubled can be missionaries in their own way, for goodness can always be shared, even if it exists alongside many limitations.”
Published by: Archdiocesan Pastoral Institute (API) | Email: [email protected]